Notes on a practice: Miami feeling heat after Game 1 loss

MIAMI — Back in the Finals for the first time in six years, the Spurs have made no secret of their desire to savor what just might be the last championship run of the Tim Duncan era.

“We definitely are having fun,” Tony Parker said. “I think we appreciate every moment. We don’t take anything for granted, because it’s been a long time.”

Such an attitude of gratitude, augmented by the Spurs’ Game 1 victory, stands in stark contrast to that of the Heat, who are already feeling the pressure after yielding homecourt advantage. While Sunday’s Game 2 isn’t technically must-win, the Heat are treating it as such.

“You got to be nuts to want to go to San Antonio down 2-0,” said Heat forward Udonis Haslem.

Yet, there were also signs of calm.

Dwyane Wade, who spoke Friday about the unrelenting pressure of the postseason, commandeered an NBA TV camera during LeBron James’ portion of the press conference on Saturday. Before that, James engaged in an impromptu shooting display, hoisting half-court bombs under the watchful eye of the media as a Heat staffer peppered him with trash talk.

Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra attributed that cool to the experience of having reached the Finals three straight times. But the Heat also know the critical nature of Sunday’s game.

“You don’t want to lose two at home,” he said. “We take a lot of pride in bouncing back after losses. So now we have an extra day to commiserate about it. But we understand the urgency. This isn’t the first time we’ve been through it.”

Indeed, the Heat have now fallen behind in each of their four trips to the Finals. Last year, the dropped the first game in Oklahoma City before winning four straight. The Spurs, in contrast, never trailed at any point in their previous four appearances and are already ahead in their fifth.

Increase their lead to 2-0, and the Spurs will have a 90.3 percent chance of winning the series based on previous Finals history. That’s a position the Heat — who did rally from a 2-0 hole against Dallas in the 2006 Finals — are desperate to avoid.

“It’s very urgent,” Wade said. “Obviously you don’t want to go down 0-2 going to San Antonio for three straight games. Odds are not that good. We have to win this game at home.”

Conversely, the Spurs know a 2-0 lead is far more commanding than 1-1.

“They lost Game 1 before,” Manu Ginobili said. “They are just good. They can come back and beat us in San Antonio. So we’ve got to play our best game tomorrow like if we are 0-0.”

Man of few words: Tim Duncan had perhaps the greatest moment of an eventful and highly successful postseason on Saturday – facing only two questions from the media horde.

Out of sight: In typically Popovich fashion, Mike Budenholzer’s boss Gregg said he didn’t care what challenges his long-time assistant will face next season as Atlanta’s head coach while the Spurs are competing for the Finals. He did, however, admit how strange it will be to not have him on the bench next year.

“When I see him sitting there and I know he’s not going to be there next season, and I know I’ll miss that,” he said. “Started a long time ago with Golden State when I brought him in as an unpaid helper in the film room.

“Told him if he wanted to do something, go back in the film room and put those pick-and-rolls together for me and don’t talk to me, don’t ask for tickets, don’t speak to anybody. Just do the film and go home. And no money, by the way. That’s what he did for a year. That’s what he’s built like.”

Come a long way: Both Parker and James had words of praise for Danny Green, who was cut three times — including twice by the Spurs — before finally sticking in San Antonio. He had four 3-pointers in his first Finals game, and is shooting 43.2 percent from beyond the arc in the postseason.

“I’m very proud of Danny,” Parker said. “He just showed a lot of toughness mentally. It’s not easy to make an NBA team. And Danny is very important in what we do. He’s one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA. He’s a great defender. He’s a great teammate, and even more important, he’s a great person.”

Said James, who played with Green for one season in Cleveland: “In practice Danny would play well for us, but he was behind some veteran guys. It was very tough for him to get on the floor. Also being a rookie. But I’ve seen the talent he had. Pop gave him confidence. You get the opportunity, you go out and make the most of it.”

On fumes, and loving it: James openly admitted that he’s worn down from a grueling three-year stretch in which he’s played into June each summer in addition to leading Team USA to gold at the London Olympics. And he considers himself fortunate.

“It’s a toll for myself to go through what I’ve been through the last two-and-a-half years,” he said. “But I’ve been blessed. I’ve been blessed to be able to be in three Finals. I’ve been blessed to be a part of a great Olympic team and to play basketball, the game that I love.

“I’m not going to be able to do it forever. The opportunities that the game has given me the last couple of years, I wouldn’t substitute that for rest.”

White noise: Popovich came to James’ defense — and then some — after media criticism that he could have even more than score 18 points, grab 18 rebounds and dish out 10 assists in Game 1.

“He doesn’t need any of you to tell him anything,” Popovich said. “He knows more than all of you put together. Your opinions mean nothing to him, as they should not mean anything to him. All decisions don’t always work out. They didn’t always work out for Michael or Tim Duncan or Shaq or Kobe Bryant or whoever.

“All the chirp, chirp, chirping about what he should have done, I thought it was hilarious from the beginning. Frankly, I was very happy for him as the year progressed when it became obvious he was comfortable in his own skin and didn’t need to listen to any of you all.”

Home away from home: While the rest of his teammates are getting cold receptions in the Sunshine State, former Florida standout Matt Bonner has been welcomed back in his former stomping grounds. Sort of.

“I’ve been getting ‘Go Gators’ everywhere,” he said. “Even people with Miami Heat jerseys walking down the street. People yell at everyone else and they’ll see me and wait for no one to look and say ‘Go Gators.'”